


These Almost-Mornings

by empty_battlefield



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Apartment, Broken Bones, Fluff, M/M, Night shift - Freeform, Nursing, johnkat - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-27 13:08:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10022015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/empty_battlefield/pseuds/empty_battlefield
Summary: Every day before 10 PM, Karkat and John have one hour to spend together--after Karkat wakes up to go to work at the hospital and before John goes to sleep at night.(Mainly fluff, derived from a random idea. Kind of a reversal to John's Apartment.)





	

Karkat's alarm woke him up at eight. Eight PM, that is—working night shifts at the hospital meant he slept during the day and got up at night. He slid out of bed, brushed his teeth, put a bit of gel in his hair to help tame it, and finally put on his light blue scrubs. His boyfriend got them for him last Christmas. 

He made his way to the living room, where he found John reading a magazine on the couch, his right leg outstretched and covered in plaster of Paris up to the thigh. His pair of crutches was propped up against the arm. 

The couch-ridden boy's attention turned to Karkat when he walked into the room. "Good morning, Karkat!" John said, craning his head and smiling heartily.

"It's not a good morning," Karkat replied, "it's not even morning." Karkat spoke caustically, but with a teensy smile. He greatly enjoyed his one hour with the one and only John Egbert. It was almost the only time he got to spend with him these days—after Karkat woke up to go to work and before John went to sleep. 

"It's _almost_ morning," John said, a grin playing on his face. "Only ten hours away."

Karkat grabbed a granola bar for breakfast and sat down on the couch next to John, opposite his broken leg. John made room for him on the tiny piece of furniture. "Cmon, you know you love these almost-mornings."

Karkat sighed, "I don't love the weird night-mornings. But I do love you, so," he said. John turned his jaw expectantly, and Karkat kissed his cheek. 

"You wanna do something? We've got an hour," John asked cheerfully. 

"What, with one hour and your broken leg? I don't think so," Karkat said with an air of disapproval. It wasn't enough time to watch a movie—Karkat wouldn’t get to see the end. "Does your leg hurt at all?" Karkat asked.

"Nah," John replied, rubbing the hard cast, "It was sore before, but I'm good right now."

"You know where your pain meds are if you need them?"

"Um..."

Karkat heaved himself off the couch with a noise, then went to search for the pills the doctor prescribed John. He came back and set them on the coffee table, then collapsed onto the couch again. "Are you sure you're alright to make it through the night by yourself?" he asked John.

John laughed. "I'll survive."

John was joking around, but Karkat meant it seriously. "Promise me that if you need anything, you'll call me, or Jade or _somebody._ And _not_ try to do stupid things like getting it yourself."

"I don't do stupid things," John chuckled. 

"You do. And look where it got you. In a thigh high cast," Karkat said, referring not so subtly to John's failed attempt to get a Frisbee off the roof for the neighborhood kids.

John was silent for a moment. Karkat eventually said, "Are you sure I can't take off? Just for today? I mean, your leg is fractured, for fuck's sake."

John's mouth twisted up and he shook his head. "I redid the budget last week. We can't afford to, not until I get back to work. Besides. My leg'll be fractured today and tomorrow and six weeks after that." Karkat's thick brows furrowed. "Karkat, don't be that way. I'll be fine, I can take care of myself. There are people at the hospital who need you more than I do."

Karkat's disconcerting expression did not budge. "It's bullshit that I can't take care of my most _important_ patient," Karkat muttered. 

John put his arm around him. "Go be a hero, Karkat. I'll be fine. I'll just be sleeping. And I'll call Jade if I need anything."

Karkat nodded reluctantly. He desperately wanted to go back to sleep. He hadn't got in as many hours as he would have liked. He let his head fall on John's shoulder and groaned. "Tired?" John said, chuckling. Karkat nodded into his sleeve. "Go sleep. I'll wake you up in..." He checked his phone. "Thirty minutes."

Karkat was willing to take whatever he could get. He didn't move a muscle, just laid on John's bony shoulder. It wasn't comfortable—but he wasn't about to get picky about where he slept.

_"How do I, how do I live without youuuu..."_

"What in the ever loving fuck are you doing?"

"Earworm," John explained, "Gotta get it out."

Karkat rested his head on John's shoulder, breathed John. He didn't say anything more because he really did like it when John sang. He didn't look it, but he had quite a lot of wind in his pipes. It was the last thing he remembered before waking up seemingly two seconds later.

"Karkat." He was being shaken awake. "It's time to go. Been thirty minutes."

It couldn't have been. It felt like only a moment. Karkat rubbed his forehead, feeling the imprint John's knit sweater vest had made on his skin. He rose up from the couch, head groggy and still craving sleep. 

Karkat began to gather his things, pulling a few bills out of his wallet for a coffee on the way. Most people didn't drink coffee at 10 o'clock at night—but Karkat was certainly not most people. Most nurses worked three or four days a week. These days, Karkat worked five. As said before, he wasn't like most people. 

"Hey—would you mind helping me get back to the bedroom?" John asked. Karkat nodded, gathering John's water bottle, blankets and pills to carry. John hoisted himself onto his crutches. 

Karkat stepped into their room, and neatly arranged all of John's things on his nightstand. He elevated John’s leg with a pillow and meticulously tucked him into bed with a few extra blankets. When Karkat was done with his work he took a step back from the bed and sighed, hands rested on his hips. "I wish I could do more for you."

"Oh come on," John chided. "You do _everything_ around here, Karkat. All _I_ ever do are _stupid things_." He looked down morosely for a moment—then picked his chin back up again. "The first thing I'm doing once I get out of this dumb cast is helping _you_ out, for once."

Karkat smiled sideways, and dropped a kiss on John's forehead. "Night," he said to John. 

"Go save some people!" John called from the bed as Karkat neared the door. Karkat gave a smile and a small army solute. He closed the door after leaving so John could sleep. 

Karkat entered the kitchen, picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He checked his wristwatch. He was running a few minutes early. He grabbed a pen from one of his pockets and a pad from the drawer. Leaning on the kitchen counter, he scribbled a note for his boyfriend:

_Hey John—_  
_Good almost morning!_  
_Love, Karkat_

**Author's Note:**

> Any and all comments are always appreciated!!


End file.
